The Scrape of Things to Come - Phase 7: Inner Planets Missions

[TheSaint]

So, I tuned down the PlanetShine shine. I think it may be a bit too low now. I'll keep tweaking.

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Mission 206 - Orbital Tug 2 & Mun Station Supply Module

The next mission will see Opportunity lift the second orbital tug to Kerbin Station. It will wait there until it has a full load of cargo to take to Munar orbit. Since Opportunity has additional mass and volume capacity available with the orbital tug, it will also be carrying a supply module. This supply module will initially provide supplies for the crew at Mun Station, but once Farside Base is operational this supply module will be moved there to provide supply for the crew as they move down to the Munar surface.

This is another high-mass payload, but the location of the supply module at the front of the cargo bay balances the center of mass and stabilizes the spaceplane. Mostly. Stay frosty, Dom.

The flight crew for this mission will be as follows:

Commander Dominic Kozak
Pilot Elaine Kohn
Flight Engineer Clayton Kilgore
Payload Specialist Judi Keith
Mission Specialist Phillip Kemper
Mission Specialist Irwin Kimmel

Commander Kozak exchanges a friendly wave with the tug driver as she unhooks and drives off the runway. When he, Pilot Kohn, and Flight Engineer Kilgore have completed the pre-flight checks, he runs the throttles up to full power. Opportunity's engines rise to a thunderous roar. Kozak releases the brakes and Opportunity rolls down the runway and leaps into the air.

Opportunity soars though the sky, transitions to closed-cycle, and finds herself in space once again. The crew executes their circularization burn and rigs the ship for orbit, then waits for their rendezvous burn.

After an hour of trying to make zero-G Nerf basketball work, the crew straps in and executes their rendezvous burns. Then Pilot Kohn takes over at the docking station and guides Opportunity in to a smooth dock with Kerbin Station once again.

Once they have docked, they exchange their greetings with the crew of Kerbin Station. Then they start their work. Payload Specialist Keith releases the clamps on the orbital tug, then energizes the erector to bring it vertical in the cargo bay.

Then Assistant Pilot Kearney takes control of the tug, undocks it from the erector, then guides it to a berth on the port docking arm.

Then Kearney warms up Cargo Drone 2 and undocks it, then brings it around to dock with the supply module in Opportunity's cargo bay.

Once the cargo drone is docked with the supply module, Kearney extracts it, then brings it around to dock with the starboard docking arm.

So now, with their labors complete, the crews settle down to a good meal. They trade stories and jokes. And then they bed down for the night.

In the morning, the crew of Opportunity bid the crew of Kerbin Station farewell. They close the hatches, then break away and burn for reentry.

After braving the fire of reentry once again, Opportunity's crew lines her up with the KSC runway and brings her in to a safe landing once again.

[TheSaint]

Munar Orbit Operations - Y1 D19

In a brief, but significant update, Orbital Tug 1 arrived in Munar orbit during Mission 206. At the edge of the Mun's SOI, the tug performs a correction burn to bring its orbital inclination as close to 0 degrees as possible.

And then, when the tug reaches periapsis at 50km, it burns to circularize, bringing Mun Station into its initial orbit.

There are more orbital adjustments to be made in the future, but Mun Station is secure for now. We now return you to your regularly scheduled mission reports already in progress.

Operations Update:

After Mission 206 landed on Y1 D20, additional operations take place with Mun Station. Several small burns are made to further circularize its orbit and bring the inclination down to 0, in order to simplify future landing operations in support of Farside Base. Then Mun Station is instructed to deploy its radiators and solar panels.

Once these deployments have been completed, Orbital Tug 1 is undocked from Mun Station. It completes its return burn, which will bring it back to Kerbin orbit in a little over a day. (These operations occurred on the night side of the Mun, so the pictures are a little dark.)

Now Mun Station has been placed in Munar orbit. There are only a few more steps to make it habitable, and then the first station crew will be assigned. And then the actual construction of Farside Base can begin.

Edited February 15, 2022 by TheSaint
Operations Update

[TheSaint]

Mission 207 - Monoprop Tank & Survey Rovers

So, the last thing that Mun Station needs to be granted its certificate of habitability is a supply module, which was flown to Kerbin Station on Mission 206. However, running Orbital Tug 2 to Mun Station with just the supply module would be a waste of a cargo run, since the orbital tugs can carry a lot more cargo than that in a single run. So this mission will carry up some additional cargo for the next phase in the assembly of Farside Base: the site survey. The survey satellite has provided a comprehensive overview of the Mun's surface at this point, which has identified several candidate sites for Farside Base. But nothing will substitute for "boots on the ground", so to speak. So the next phase will involve dropping survey rovers on each candidate site, to determine each site's general suitability, and to pinpoint an exact location for the base.

Independence's payload for this mission will include three rovers, each in its own landing capsule. The landing capsules will be brought to the surface by cargo drone, then returned to Mun Station for eventual return to Kerbin for reuse. Because this phase will consume a large amount of monopropellant fuel, a monoprop fuel tank is also being brought to Mun Station to support these operations.

Independence's flight crew for this mission is:

Commander Charles Kern
Pilot Keith Kilpatrick
Flight Engineer Selma Knotts
Payload Specialist Clarice Kopp
Mission Specialist Cleo Kiser
Mission Specialist Gary Knight

Independence is rolled out to the runway on a bright and sunny morning on Day 20. Commander Kern confirms the pre-flight checklist, then ignites the engines, and Independence springs into the air for her ninth mission. Upon reaching space, they perform their circularization burn and rig the ship for orbital operations.

Once in orbit, the crew has over an hour to wait for their first rendezvous burn. With an evil grin, Keith pulls out his copy of Trivial Pursuit....

After a solid hour, nobody but Keith has answered a single Sports & Leisure question correctly. Commander Kern formally bans the game from future flights, with prejudice. Everyone buckles back into their seats, and they perform their rendezvous burns. They line themselves up with Kerbin Station and soon they are docked.

Once the hatches are opened, the crews exchange their greetings. Commander Kern surreptitiously hands a small bag to Captain Koontz, with a whispered instruction. But everyone else was too busy getting to work to notice. Payload Specialist Kopp sets about erecting the payloads in the cargo bay.

Then Executive Officer Keegan warms up Cargo Drone 2 and brings it around to dock with the monoprop tank.

She uses the drone to extract the tank and dock it on the supply module that is already docked on Kerbin Station.

Then, undocking the drone and bringing it to the cargo bay again, she docks it to the stack of survey rovers.

She then extracts the rovers and docks them to the monoprop tank, completing the cargo stack for Orbital Tug 2.

She then undocks the cargo drone and moves it to a unused docking port on the Kerbin Station docking complex.

Now, the attention moves to Orbital Tug 2. XO Keegan warms up the tug, extends its solar panels and antenna, and fires up its main engine. Once all of the tug's systems check out, she undocks it from the station and moves it over to dock with the cargo stack.

Once the tug is docked, the entire stack is checked out. The mass is actually more than Mun Station was, but it should still be within the tugs operational parameters.

About 15 minutes out from the transfer window, the tug undocks from Kerbin Station. Mission Control takes control of Orbital Tug 2. They upload the parameters for the Mun injection burn, then Orbital Tug 2 gets underway.

With their mission complete, the crews settle in. They share a meal and some stories, and then hit the rack for the night.

The next day, The crew of Independence say their goodbyes to Kerbin Station and close the hatches. They take their places on the flight deck and undock, Then they burn for reentry.

As they fall towards Kerbin, the crew rigs the ship for atmosphere. They pass through the fire of reentry, and soon Commander Kern has Independence lined up for landing with the runway at KSC.

Commander Kern brings Independence in for another perfect three-point landing.

So now that Orbital Tug 2 is on its way to The Mun with all the equipment to make Mun Station habitable, as well as all the equipment to begin the survey for suitable sites for Farside Base, the next step in the process will be to send the first crew to Mun Station. This crew will inhabit Mun Station for the time being, but once the construction of Farside Base has been completed they will become its first crew as well.

[TheSaint]

Mission 208 - Orbital Transport & Mun Station Crew

So now that all the equipment and supplies necessary to make Mun Station habitable are on their way to Munar orbit, the time has come to send Mun Station's first crew. Of course, they will require a ship to travel there in. Many designs were proposed and considered, each with their pluses and minuses. But all were rejected as too expensive by KSP upper management. Finally, in a late night brainstorming session, Engineer Andrew Keene said, "Well, why don't we just take an orbital tug, slap a tin can on the front of it, and stuff a bunch of people in it?" For this he was awarded Engineer of the Month. He received a certificate printed out of Powerpoint and a Karbucks gift card.

The result is the Orion-class orbital transport. It has enough delta-V to travel just about anywhere in the Kerbin system and back, and can house six kerbals in relative comfort for up to 60 days. And, most importantly, it can be lifted to orbit by an Independence-class spaceplane.

The crew for Mun Station/Farside Base are drawn from the most experienced of the current kerbonaut roster:

Captain Jane Knoll
Executive Officer Gavin Kenney
Chief Engineer Dwayne Kohler
Assistant Engineer Araceli Krebs
Chief Scientist Keisha Keene
Assistant Scientist Lea Kimbraugh

Because the crew is pulled from the flight roster, the normal spaceplane flight crew rotation has been reshuffled to accommodate their departure. Unfortunately, because of a clerical error, this resulted in the crew from mission 207 pulling back-to-back missions. Liberty's flight crew for mission 208 is as follows:

Commander Keith Kilpatrick
Pilot Charles Kern
Flight Engineer Clarice Kopp
Payload Specialist Selma Knotts
Mission Specialist Gary Knight
Mission Specialist Cleo Kiser

This flight is self-contained, so it will not require Liberty to rendezvous with Kerbin Station.

Liberty is rolled out to the runway and prepped for launch. Commander Kilpatrick runs up the throttles, releases the brakes, and Liberty rolls down the runway and takes flight.

Upon reaching space, the crew circularizes then rigs for orbit.

Since there is no requirement to rendezvous with Kerbin Station, after verifying that Liberty is operating normally, the crew burns to raise their orbit to 400km.

Now that they are at operating altitude, the crew gets to work. Payload Specialist Knotts releases the payload clamps then erects Orion in the cargo bay.

Once it has been erected, Knotts extends Orion's antenna and solar panels. After all of Orion's systems have checked out, Knotts undocks it from the cargo erector and moves it over to dock on Liberty's docking port.

Once Orion has docked, the Mun Station crew move over and take their seats on Orion's command deck. The crew of Liberty give them congratulatory fist bumps, then close the hatches. Orion's crew warm up her main engine and make preparations for their departure. About 15 minutes out from their transfer window, they undock from Liberty and align their ship for the TMI burn. 

They complete their burn and they are underway for the Mun.

But the day is not over for Liberty. They have only half an orbit before their deorbit burn.

As they hurtle back towards Kerbin, the crew rigs the ship for atmosphere. Soon they are braving the heat of reentry once again.

Is is dusk as Liberty sails in to KSC once again, and Commander Kilpatrick guides her in to yet another perfect landing.

So now the crew of Mun Station is on their way to their home for the next 90 days. The next mission will begin hauling the modules for Farside Base to Kerbin Station so that the orbital tugs can begin transferring them to Mun Station.

[TheSaint]

Kerbin Orbit Operations - Y1 D22

Just after Liberty touched down at KSC, Orbital Tug 1 reached its 800km parking orbit. It circularizes there, then awaits its rendezvous burn with Kerbin Station.

After a short wait, the tug executes its rendezvous burns and finds itself in the vicinity of Kerbin Station.

Assistant Pilot Koonce takes control of the tug from Mission Control and guides it in to dock at Kerbin Station's docking complex.

Once the tug has been docked, the engineers get to work refueling it from the hydrolox tank. It should be all ready to go once the first load of modules for Farside Base arrive on the next spaceplane mission.

[TheSaint]

Mission 301 - Cargo Lander & Farside Base Core Module

Now that Mun Station is almost operational, the time has come to start shipping hardware for Farside Base. The first, and most obvious, requirement is a means to bring the hardware for Farside Base down to the Munar surface. The cargo drones don't have enough power to bring the larger modules down, so a dedicated lander design was sought. Taking a preemptive cue from Engineer Keene's transport proposal (they're running low on Karbucks gift cards) they decided to base the lander on the orbital tug. They cut the fuel tankage in half, and cut down the engine bell to allow it to allow it to fit in the clearance afforded by the landing gear. And the Cargo Lander was born!

The second piece of hardware being brought up is the core module for Farside Base. This module will provide the base's command deck, where the base commander will strike heroic poses when difficult decisions about the fate of all Kerbalkind must be made.

Freedom will be carrying this cargo aloft to Kerbin Station today. Her flight crew is as follows:

Commander Elaine Kohn
Pilot Dominic Kozak
Flight Engineer Judi Keith
Payload Specialist Clayton Kilgore
Mission Specialist Irwin Kimmel
Mission Specialist Phillip Kemper

Morning breaks on Day 22, and Freedom is towed out to the KSC runway. After the pre-flight checks have been completed, Commander Kohn fires up the engines and releases the brakes. Freedom roars to life, and soon they are leaving the atmosphere of Kerbin behind and entering the realm of space!

Upon reaching space, the crew of Freedom burn to circularize then rig the ship for orbit.

After about an hour of swapping old school stories, the crew perform their rendezvous burns. They activate Freedom's RCS system, align her with Kerbin Station, and bring her in to a perfect docking.

Once Freedom is docked, the crews open the hatches and greet each other once again. Then the work begins. Payload Specialist Kilgore releases the cargo clamps and erects both the cargo lander and the core module in the cargo bay.

Then Captain Koontz takes control of Cargo Drone 2, undocks it, and brings it around to dock with the cargo lander.

The drone docks with the cargo lander, then extracts it from the cargo bay. Koontz uses the drone to dock the lander to the base core module.

Then, extracting the core module from the cargo bay, Koontz guides the stack around and docks it to Kerbin Station's docking complex.

Then, once the cargo stack is docked, Koontz undocks the cargo drone and redocks it on another port of the docking complex.

Meanwhile, Assistant Pilot Kearney undocks Orbital Tug 1 and maneuvers it around to dock with the cargo stack.

Now that the orbital tug and the cargo stack are mated, the entire group is ready to leave for The Mun. As the next transfer window approaches, Commander Koontz takes control of the tug and undocks it and its cargo from Kerbin Station. They upload the data for the TMI burn to the orbital tug, and then when they reach the window, the tug leaves for The Mun.

Now that the first components of Farside Base are on their way, the crews of Freedom and Kerbin Station can relax. They sit down to a meal, have a few laughs, then they all settle down to bed.

The next morning they close the hatches between Freedom and Kerbin Station. Then Freedom undocks and they line her up for reentry.

Freedom plunges through the atmosphere, and soon she is lined up for landing at KSC once more.

And with Commander Kohn at the yoke, Freedom comes in for another perfect landing.

The first module and lander are on their way for Farside Base. However, the next tug will be arriving at Kerbin Station almost empty of fuel, and the existing hydrolox tank is almost dry as well. So the next mission will bring much needed fuel to support ongoing operations.

[TheSaint]

Munar Orbit Operations - Y1 D22-23

As Freedom was lifting off from KSC for Mission 301, Orbital Tug 2 was arriving in Munar orbit. Mission Control directed it to perform its circularization burn into its ~100km parking orbit.

A short while later the tug burned for rendezvous with Mun Station, then it brought itself in to dock with the station docking arm.

With its cargo stack safely delivered, the tug waited for the transfer window back to Kerbin. Then it undocked and burned to begin its journey back to Kerbin Station to begin another cargo run.

[TheSaint]

Munar Orbit Operations - Y1 D23

Also, while Orbital Tug 2 was maneuvering in Munar space, Orion arrived in Munar orbit as well. Captain Knoll brings her around and burns her main engine to bring her into her parking orbit.

The crew then calculates their rendezvous burns and brings Orion in to dock with Mun Station, their new home for the duration of Farside Base's construction.

The crew move in to their quarters, familiarizing themselves with their new station. Their next task will be to begin surveying the candidate sites for Farside Base.

[TheSaint]

Mission 302 - Farside Base Reactor & Radiator Tower

So, the original plan was to bring up the next hydrolox tank, but it was decided at the last minute to swap that out for the next load of base modules. This way Orbital Tug 1 will be docked at Kerbin Station when the new hydrolox tank arrives, which will simplify the task of swapping out the hydrolox tanks . Trust me, it works better this way.

So the cargo for this mission will be the next two modules for Farside Base itself. Farside Base will be powered by a small nuclear reactor, which will provide power and heat through the long Munar nights...where did everyone go? It's perfectly safe, you fraidy-cats! Get back in here and sit down! Opportunity will be bringing up both the reactor and its radiator tower on this mission.

Because one of the veteran spaceplane flight crews was taken out of rotation to provide the crew for Farside Base, a new rookie crew will be taking Opportunity up on this mission:

Commander Darryl Koehler
Pilot Hannah Kinnard
Flight Engineer Stella Kunz
Payload Specialist Goldie Kennedy
Mission Specialist Bob Keen
Mission Specialist Sydney Kirchner

The ground crew tows Opportunity out to the runway, and the new crew carefully go through their pre-flight checklist. Commander Koehler runs the throttles up to full power, then releases the brakes. Opportunity takes flight, and soon they find themselves in space for the first time!

They fire the main engines again to circularize their orbit, then rig Opportunity for orbital operations.

After nervously twiddling their thumbs for an hour, they perform their rendezvous burns and bring Opportunity in to dock with Kerbin Station.

After introducing themselves to the crew of Kerbin Station, everyone gets down to work. Payload Specialist Kennedy erects the modules in the cargo bay.

Then Executive Officer Keegan brings Cargo Drone 2 around to dock with the reactor module.

Extracting the reactor module from the cargo bay, she then brings it around to dock with the radiator module.

Then she extracts the entire stack from the cargo bay and maneuvers it up to dock with Kerbin Station's starboard docking arm.

And then she undocks the cargo drone and brings it around to an unused docking port on the docking complex.

Now that Opportunity has been unloaded, the crew can relax for a while. They tuck into dinner and get to know the new folks. The crew of Opportunity can then bed down,  but the crew of Kerbin Station have more work coming up.

While they are relaxing, Orbital Tug 1 arrives in its parking orbit and executes its circularization burn.

It almost immediately reaches its transfer window for Kerbin Station, so it executes its rendezvous burns.

When the tug arrives in the vicinity of Kerbin Station, Assistant Pilot Kearney takes control of it and guides it in to dock with the Kerbin Station docking complex.

Now that the tug has arrived, Engineers Keene and Keenan get to work transferring the remaining fuel from the hydrolox tank to the tug, which brings it to roughly 50% capacity. With these tasks complete, the crew of Kerbin Station can finally relax.

A couple hours later, Mission Control wakes up the crew of Opportunity to begin preparing for their return. They say goodbye to the duty section on Kerbin Station, then close the hatches and undock.

They bring Opportunity retrograde, then burn for reentry.

As they descend towards Kerbin, they rig the ship for atmosphere and ride through reentry.

As Opportunity slows below hypersonic speeds, Commander Koehler guides her onto the glide path to KSC. They cruise over the western mountains, and then he brings her in to an...adequate landing at KSC.

So, now that Orbital Tug 1 is at Kerbin Station, the next mission will contain a new hydrolox tank, and whatever other modules for Farside Base that we can squeeze in with it. Scout's honor.

[TheSaint]

Author's Note: So, to bring down the image count, I'm going to cut down on the number of images for the spaceplane ascents and descents in future mission posts. I really enjoy watching this thing fly, but I think we've seen enough of it at this point.

Mission 303 - Hydrolox Tank & Farside Base Pylons

So the next mission will bring up a much-needed hydrolox fuel tank to provide fuel for the orbital tugs ferrying equipment to Munar orbit. A keen observer will see the manual struts that have been added to the walls of the payload bay for this mission. These will be used to secure the empty hydrolox tank that is being returned to Kerbin. Since there is some spare payload space available, it will also bring up a module which carries eight pylons for Farside Base. These pylons will connect the nuclear reactor, placed at a safe distance, to Farside Base proper.

Independence's flight crew for this, her tenth mission, is as follows:

Commander Cleveland Kauffman
Pilot Jackie Kimball
Flight Engineer Herman Kinney
Payload Specialist Sierra King
Mission Specialist Lily Kemp
Mission Specialist Edwin Klinger

Independence takes flight, and her veteran crew guides her into orbit. Soon they have her docked at Kerbin Station once more.

Once on-board, the crews get to work. Payload Specialist King erects the payloads in Independence's cargo bay.

Then Assistant Pilot Kearney takes control Of Cargo Drone 1 and moves it over to dock with the empty hydrolox tank docked on the station's docking complex.

He uses the drone to undock the hydrolox tank and move it to a parking position near the station.

While Kearney keeps Cargo Drone 1 on station, Assistant Pilot Koonce fires up Cargo Drone 2 and guides it over to dock with the new hydrolox tank in Independence's cargo bay.

He then extracts the new tank and gingerly guides it around the station structure to its berth on the docking complex. Once it is in place, the on-duty engineers begin refueling Orbital Tug 2 from it.

Kearney then uses Cargo Drone 1 to guide the empty hydrolox tank in to dock with the cargo erector in Independence's cargo bay for return to Kerbin.

Once the tank has been docked, Kearney undocks the drone and moves it to dock with the pylon module.

Extracting the pylon module, Kearney maneuvers it around and docks it with the cargo stack on the starboard docking arm.

Once the cargo drone had been undocked and moved to its normal parking spot, Koonce takes control of the now fully fueled Orbital Tug 2, undocks it, and moves it over to dock with the cargo stack. The entire assembly is now ready to leave for Munar orbit.

And a good thing, too. The next transfer window for The Mun is coming up in just half-an-hour. After a watch changeover, Executive Officer Keegan takes control of Orbital Tug 2 and undocks it with its cargo stack. She moves it away from the station, then turns control of it over to Mission Control

Mission Control uploads the tug's flight plan, and soon it is on its way to Mun Station.

Now that the tug is away, the only remaining task is to secure the empty hydrolox tank in Independence's cargo bay for the flight home. First, Flight Engineer Kinney folds the tank back into the cargo bay.

Then, Payload Specialist King and Assistant Engineer Keenan are tapped to perform Kerbin Station's first EVA. They first exit via the station's airlock.

Then they maneuver over to Independence's cargo bay and secure the tank with the struts, first on the starboard side...

...and then on the port side.

They then return to the station. After a very long day of work, the entire crew sits down to a well-earned meal and rest.

The next morning, the crew of Independence closes the hatches and breaks away from Kerbin Station.

They guide Independence back through reentry and in to land at KSC again.

While this mission was taking place, a lot was going on in Munar orbit. But we'll get to that in our next episode.

Edited March 5, 2022 by TheSaint

[TheSaint]

Munar Orbit Operations - Y1 D25-26

Meanwhile, in Munar orbit, things are starting to get busy. Orbital Tug 1 arrives in its parking orbit and burns to circularize. It then calculates its rendezvous burns for Mun Station.

Over on Mun Station, the crew is preparing to survey the potential sites for Farside Base. Captain Knoll takes control of Cargo Drone 3 and moves it over to dock with the first of the rover capsules.

As Mun Station approaches Candidate Site A, Knoll undocks the drone and capsule and aligns them to burn for landing.

The drone ignites its engines and begins its descent.

After a nerve-wracking descent: touchdown! Knoll releases the rover from the capsule, and Chief Scientist Keene takes control of it and guides it out of the capsule and onto the Munar surface.

The drone must wait for Mun Station to come around on its next orbit in order to launch to rendezvous, so in the meantime Keene continues to maneuver the rover across the surface, scanning the terrain to determine the suitability of the site.

Half an hour later, Mun Station is approaching the rendezvous point. Captain Knoll ignites the drone's engines and brings it to orbit.

After some quick maneuvers, the drone is soon approaching Mun Station for docking. It docks the spent rover capsule at an unused port on the station docking arm.

Shortly after the first rover mission returns, Orbital Tug 1 arrives.

Executive Officer Kenney takes over control of the tug and guides it in to dock with Mun Station.

So now that the next load of equipment has arrived, the crew can shift their focus to the next rover. Candidate Site B is a little more challenging, as it is further off of the Mun's equator than the other two sites. But they are up to the challenge!

Executive Officer Kenney will be controlling Cargo Drone 4 for this mission. First he moves Cargo Drone 3 around to its normal parking spot on the station to clear the empty rover capsule stack.

Then he pilots Cargo Drone 4 around to dock with the next rover capsule.

Then as the station approaches the site, the drone pulls the capsule away and burns for landing.

After the drone touches down, the XO releases the drone and Assistant Scientist Kimbraugh drives it out of the capsule.

And, again, as the drone awaits its departure Kimbraugh explores the site with the drone.

As Mun Station approaches, XO Kenney ignites the drones engines and brings it up to rendezvous.

The drone arrives in orbit with its tanks almost dry. But with some expert maneuvering on the part of Kenney, soon it is gliding in to dock with Mun Station.

Very soon after the drove arrives, it is time for Orbital Tug 1 to depart. It will be bringing its adapter back to Kerbin Station for eventual return to Kerbin, so Captain Knoll uncouples the adapter from the cargo lander's descent engine and maneuvers the tug clear of the station.

As the tug approaches its departure node, Mission Control takes control of the tug and uploads a flight plan for it. Then it burns to return to Kerbin.

It is now time for the crew to turn their attention to the third and final rover. Captain Knoll takes control of Cargo Drone 4 and, once it has been refueled, brings it over to dock with the last remaining rover capsule.

Then as the station approaches Candidate Site C, she undocks the drone and capsule and aligns them for their landing burn.

The drone burns for landing and touches down at Candidate Site C.

Chief Scientist Keene takes control of the rover after it has been released and begins to survey the site.

Then as Mun Station crests the horizon again, the drone lifts off for its return.

Captain Knoll guides the drone in to dock the spent capsule with the rest.

So now the three survey rovers are on the Munar surface evaluating sites for Farside Base, and Orbital Tug 1 has delivered the first cargo lander and the first surface hardware for Farside Base. After an exhausting day's work, the kerbonauts of Mun Station enjoy a celebratory feast and relax for the evening. They try to use the foosball table in the Farside Base core module, but, well, gravity. Then they go to bed.

The next mission will begin to address some longstanding fuel issues at Kerbin Station, although not maybe in the way you would expect.

[TheSaint]

Mission 304 - Farside Base Habitation Module & Monoprop Tank

After the novelty and complexity of the last couple of missions, this one should be a milk run. Just, "Haul 25 tons of stuff to Kerbin Station." Piece of cake. The cargo on this mission will be the habitation module for Farside Base, which will be the living quarters for the kerbonauts who live and work there, and a monopropellant tank and its stand for the base as well. The plan is to transfer this monopropellant tank to Mun Station, then transfer the tank which is currently at Mun Station (which is now less than half full) back to Kerbin Station. There it will be used to refuel the cargo drones and orbital tugs that call at Kerbin Station until it is empty, and then it will be returned to KSC for refurbishment and reuse.

Liberty is next up on the roster for this mission. Her flight crew is:

Commander Charles Kern
Pilot Keith Kilpatrick
Flight Engineer Selma Knotts
Payload Specialist Clarice Kopp
Mission Specialist Cleo Kiser
Mission Specialist Gary Knight

Liberty lifts off from the KSC runway, and soon she is once again orbiting Kerbin. After waiting almost an hour-and-a-half for their first rendezvous burn, the crew once again bring Liberty in to dock at Kerbin Station.

Now that they have arrived and exchanged their greetings, they get down to business. Payload Specialist Kopp raises the modules in the cargo bay.

Then Captain Koontz activates Cargo Drone 2 and docks it with the habitation module.

She then extracts the habitation module and docks it to the monoprop tank/tank stand.

Then she extracts that entire stack and uses the drone to dock it to the port docking arm.

She then undocks the cargo drone and returns it to its normal parking spot on the escape pod hub.

And, Bob's your uncle. Can you believe they get paid to do this? The crews are old hands now, having known each other since the early days of the program, what, almost four weeks ago now? They settle in for dinner and chat. But since it was such a late launch for Liberty this mission, by the time they finish their meal their reentry window is only an orbit away! The crew of Liberty says their goodbyes, shuts the hatches, then breaks away from Kerbin Station.

They pilot Liberty back through reentry and safely land at KSC once again.

The next mission will bring up another hydrolox tank, which will be brought to Mun Station to refuel the cargo lander as it is moving cargo down to the Munar surface, and the airlock module for Farside Base.

[TheSaint]

Mission 305 - Hydrolox Tank & Farside Base Airlock

The next mission will lift the airlock module for Farside Base. This is a pretty critical module for the base, since it's pretty hard to get in and out of a base without an airlock. It will also be bringing up a hydrolox tank destined for Mun Station. This tank will be used to refuel the cargo lander as it is bringing the base modules down the the Mun surface.

Freedom will be flying this mission, and her flight crew will be:

Commander Dominic Kozak
Pilot Elaine Kohn
Flight Engineer Clayton Kilgore
Payload Specialist Judi Keith
Mission Specialist Phillip Kemper
Mission Specialist Irwin Kimmel

Freedom is rolled out to the runway. The crew completes their pre-flights, then they take Freedom aloft. Soon they are streaking through the stratosphere on their way to space.

They reach orbit and circularize, then rig Freedom for orbital operations. After their rendezvous burns, they bring her in to dock at Kerbin Station.

Just after Freedom docked at Kerbin Station Orbital Tug 1 arrived in its 800km parking orbit over Kerbin. It circularizes there, and awaits its first rendezvous burn which will continue its journey back to Kerbin Station.

Back on Kerbin Station, the crews exchange greetings, then get down to business. Payload Specialist Keith erects the airlock module and tank in the cargo bay.

Once they are locked in position, Captain Koontz brings Cargo Drone 2 online and maneuvers it around to dock with the airlock module.

She then extracts the airlock module from the cargo bay and docks it to the cargo stack on the station's port docking arm.

She then undocks the drone and brings it over to dock with the hydrolox tank.

While this is going on, Orbital Tug 1 reaches its first rendezvous burn.

Back at Kerbin Station once more, Koontz extracts the hydrolox tank from Freedom's cargo hold and then docks it to Kerbin Station's starboard docking arm.

A short time afterwards, Orbital Tug 1 arrives at Kerbin Station and matches velocities.

Mission Control turns over control of the tug to Kerbin Station. Assistant Pilot Kearney takes control of it and guides it in towards the station. He first brings it in to dock with Cargo Drone 1, so that it can take custody of the docking adapter it has carried back from Mun Station.

Then he undocks the orbital tug and maneuvers it over to dock on the port docking arm for refueling.

Then, once Keene and Kent have finished refueling the tug, Kearney undocks it and redocks it on the cargo stack. It is now ready to depart for Mun Station.

Now that the next cargo for Mun Station is prepped and ready, the crew can take care of some housekeeping. Koontz brings Cargo Drone 1 online and undocks it from its berth on the hydrolox tank. She then maneuvers it around to place the docking adapter in Freedom's docking bay. She then undocks the drone and brings it around to park on a docking port on the starboard docking arm.

Finally, Kerbin Station approaches Orbital Tug 1's departure point. Executive Officer Keegan takes control of the tug and undocks the stack from Kerbin Station. She carefully backs it away from the station and then aligns it for its TMI burn.

Once the tug is clear, Mission Control takes over, and instructs the tug to perform its burn. It is then on its way to The Mun.

Now that the work of the mission is over everyone gets a chance to relax. They all have a good meal together, swap some stories, then settle in to bed.

The next morning, the crew of Freedom get ready to depart. They close the hatches, ready their ship, then break away from Kerbin Station.

They align Freedom for her reentry burn, and soon they are streaking across the skies of Kerbin in a ball of fire.

As Freedom drops into the thicker air, Commander Kozak takes the yoke and guides her onto the flight path to KSC. Soon they are landing on the runway once again.

The next mission will bring up the lander that will bring the kerbonauts down the the Mun surface to their new home. But first, there are more events taking place in Mun orbit.

[TheSaint]

Munar Orbit Operations - Y1 D26-27

During Mission 305, Orbital Tug 2 arrived in Munar Orbit, as documented in this brief and, unfortunately, mostly poorly illuminated update.

On day 26, Orbital Tug 2 arrives in its 100km parking orbit around The Mun and circularizes. It then prepares for its rendezvous burn with Mun Station.

After its first rendezvous burn, the tug arrives in the vicinity of Mun Station and burns to match velocities. Then Executive Officer Kenney takes over control of the tug from Mission Control and guides it in to dock with the station.

The tugs first return window is not very long after it has docked, so the crew works quickly. They undock the tug from the cargo stack it has just delivered and move it over to dock with the half-empty monoprop tank which must be returned to Kerbin Station to refuel the cargo drones there.

Then, as the tugs departure point approaches, they undock the tug and it executes its return burn. It should arrive back in Kerbin orbit in about a day.

[TheSaint]

Munar Orbit Operations - Y1 D27

Next is a little bit of housekeeping at Mun Station. The kerbonauts are tired of having to maneuver their supply bundles through the docking arms, so they decide to move the supply module to the central hub. This will also clear up one of the docking arm ports for a future cargo delivery.

XO Kenney undocks a cargo drone and moves it over to dock with the supply module.

He then undocks the supply module and uses the cargo drone to carry it over to its new home on one of the two core docking ports.

Once Orbital Tug 1 arrives tomorrow with the next cargo stack it will grab the stack of empty rover capsules and bring those back to Kerbin Station for return, which will free up yet another port as well.

The evaluation of the potential sites for Farside Base has been continuing apace. KSP management has been engaged in extensive study of the incoming data and rigorous debate to decide on the best location for the base.

We can expect a decision soon, I'm sure.

 

[TheSaint]

Mission 306 - Crew Lander Tycho & Farside Base Laboratory

The next spaceplane mission will lift the crew lander, christened "Tycho", and the laboratory module for Farside Base.

The crew lander continues the trend of reusing chassis and components of various vehicles to maintain parts commonality and reduce costs. In this case attaching the control module of the orbital transport to the propulsion module of the cargo lander. With a few minor adjustments from there, the crew lander is born!

This mission will be flying Opportunity on her fifth mission. Her flight crew is:

Commander Hannah Kinnard
Pilot Darryl Koehler
Flight Engineer Goldie Kennedy
Payload Specialist Stella Kunz
Mission Specialist Sydney Kirchner
Mission Specialist Bob Keen

Opportunity is rolled out to the runway and, after the crew finishes pre-flights, she takes to the skies once again.

After reaching orbit and circularizing, the crew rigs her for orbit.

Opportunity's crew brings her through her rendezvous burns, and soon she is gliding in to dock at Kerbin Station.

The crews greet each other with smiles and fist bumps, and then they get down to work. Payload Specialist Kunz erects the lander and laboratory in the cargo bay.

Then Assistant Pilot Koonce undocks Cargo Drone 2 and moves it over to dock with Tycho. He extracts Tycho from the cargo bay and brings it around to dock with the port docking arm.

Then he undocks the drone from Tycho and maneuvers it over to dock with the laboratory module.

Extracting the laboratory module, he uses the drone to bring it over and docks it on the adapter module attached to Tycho. He then undocks the drone and brings it back to its regular parking spot on the end of the escape pod hub.

Another routine delivery complete. The crews settle in for a hot meal together, then hit the rack for the night.

The next morning the crews say their farewells. The hatches are closed and Opportunity departs once again.

She cruises through reentry again, and Commander Kinnard brings Opportunity in for landing on her first mission as commander.

Now the final modules are being delivered for Farside Base. Once a decision has been made on the location then the crew of Mun Station can start using the cargo lander to start dropping modules to the surface.

[TheSaint]

Munar Orbit Operations - Y1 D28

Orbital Tug 1 arrives in Munar orbit and circularizes in its 100km parking orbit.

After about 20 minutes, the tug reaches its first rendezvous burn, then only 20 minutes after that it reaches the vicinity of Mun Station and burns to match velocities.

Now Mission Control passes control of the tug to Mun Station. Captain Knoll takes control of the tug and guides it in to dock with its berth on Mun Station.

Now that the cargo stack has been safely delivered, Knoll undocks the tug and transfers it over to the stack of rover capsules which it will be returning to Kerbin Station.

The tug will be departing Mun Station in about half-an-hour. But back on Kerbin, big plans are brewing....

[TheSaint]

...or fermenting, as the case may be.

KSP Mission 307/KRO Mission 001-04 - Farside Base Radio Telescope Module

One of the crown jewels of Farside Base is to be a radio telescope, the largest ever deployed off-Kerbin. The environment on the far side of The Mun is very conducive to radio astronomy, since the bulk of The Mun shields the base from the extensive radio frequency interference of Kerbal civilization on Kerbin. The task of designing and constructing this delicate, expensive instrument fell to the Kerbal Science Foundation, who assembled it at their own facilities and then delivered it to the Kerbal Space Center for payload integration. However, upon delivery, they discovered a problem. It appears that when it came to calculating the module's clearances in the spaceplane cargo bay...

...someone neglected to carry a one. While the module clears the cargo bay laterally, dorsally it exceeds the dimensions by a wide margin. This is obviously a very embarrassing development, and the KSF has responded by sacking the engineer responsible, sacking his manager as well, and sacking the janitor on that floor of the building for good measure. (But don't feel too bad. The manager used his golden handshake to purchase a SNACKS! franchise, the engineer has successfully applied for the next class of kerbonaut training, and, if current polling holds out, the janitor is set to win the next election in her Kongressional district by a wide margin.)

But KSP is still left with a very expensive scientific instrument that they are unable to get into orbit. Just when all seems lost, in steps: Jebediah Kerman! Retired kerbonaut. First Kerbal in space. Hero of the Kerpollo program. World ski-boxing champion, three years running. Now a senior Kongressional representative and chairkerbal of the Committee on Space and Aeronautics. Representative Kerman brokers a solution:

The Kerbal Reconnaissance Office (Who is CONVINCED that there is someone else on Kerbin they need to be watching!) maintains their own launch site in a remote, highly classified location, where they launch highly classified payloads on highly classified missions into orbit. They have been closely observing the success of the KSP spaceplane program, and have recently decided to place an order for their own spaceplane. (Saw the christening notice the other day. Enterpol? Interprise? Some funny name.) In exchange for an extended knowledge transfer program between KRO and KSP to bootstrap their spaceplane project, KRO will allow KSP to use their existing launch site and booster system to lift the radio telescope module to Kerbin Station. KRO's current launch system is a semi-reusable booster, code-named Cepheus, designed and operated by Consolidated Kerbal Aerospace Industries under contract to KRO. Although the Cepheus booster has a lower maximum payload mass to LKO than the Independence-class, what it does have is a much larger fairing diameter, which will allow it to carry the radio telescope module with ease.

The Cepheus project managers see the writing on the wall, and they are using this launch as the opportunity to test out a new concept: a smart, maneuverable upper stage for the booster. This will allow the Cepheus upper stage to not only dock the payload to the station itself without the use of a tug, but it will also allow it to be returned to Kerbin by an Independence-class spaceplane. This will make the Cepheus booster system almost 100% reusable, vastly reducing its operating costs, and hopefully extending the system's usefulness and their careers.

Management at KSP, KRO, and CKAI are all watching this launch very closely. Management at KSF are just glad you've forgotten completely about them since the beginning of this post. And Jeb is back out on the talk show circuit with that chicken-eating grin on his face again! Ain't he something!

While the Cepheus booster is being rolled out to the pad, Orbital Tug 2 arrives in its parking orbit and circularizes.

Then, as dawn breaks over the KRO site, the Cepheus booster stands ready for launch.

As the countdown ticks down to zero, the main engines ignite, and the booster lifts off the pad!

The booster climbs away from the launch site, gaining speed and altitude. Then it reaches first stage separation.

The first stage activates its RCS systems, deploys its landing legs, rotates tail-first, then ignites its engines and begins burning to return to the launch site.

As the booster approaches the launch site, it rotates tail-first again, and sets down gently on the sands about a kilometer away from the facility, awaiting its recovery team.

Meanwhile, the upper stage continues its climb to orbit. Upon clearing the atmosphere it jettisons its fairing (the only hardware that isn't reused).

Then it circularizes in a 100km parking orbit.

Because it launched from the KRO facility, it is grossly out of plane with Kerbin Station. So in a few minutes it executes a plane change burn to bring it into alignment.

Then the craft runs through its rendezvous burns and finds itself in the vicinity of Kerbin Station.

Now control is handed over to the crew of Kerbin Station. Captain Koontz takes control of the Cepheus. Although the craft is unfamiliar, she soon gets a feel for it, and she guides it in to dock with the port docking arm. The Cepheus has successfully delivered the radio telescope to Kerbin Station! Mission accomplished!

While the Cepheus is arriving at Kerbin Station, Orbital Tug 2 arrives at its first rendezvous burn, and soon it too is being guided in to dock at Kerbin Station.

Now the crew wishes to place the Cepheus in a good location to await its return and dock the radio telescope to its cargo stack. Captain Koontz first safes the main engine on the Cepheus, then undocks it from the radio telescope module and brings it around to dock with the nadir port on the same docking arm.

While this evolution was taking place, Chief Engineer Keene and Assistant Engineer Keenan were busy using the newly arrived monoprop tank to refuel Cargo Drone 1. Now Assistant Pilot Kearney undocks it from its location on the starboard docking arm and maneuvers it over to dock with the radio telescope module.

He then undocks the radio telescope and uses the drone to dock it to the end of the cargo stack on the port docking arm.

Then he undocks the cargo drone and brings it over to dock on the supply module.

Although the radio telescope has been successfully delivered and stacked, the next priority is to deliver the hydrolox tank to Mun Station to support lander operations. So Orbital Tug 2 must be refueled and docked to the tank. The duty engineers have been busy refueling it, so now Captain Koontz can take over. She undocks it and maneuvers it to the other side of the docking arm to dock with the hydrolox tank.

As Kerbin Station approaches the tug's departure point, Captain Koontz undocks the tank and maneuvers the tug away from the station.

Then Mission Control assumes control of the tug and it burns for the Mun.

The Cepheus upper stage will wait at the station until it can be returned to Kerbin aboard a spaceplane flight. In the meantime, the upper management of all the entities involved are suitably impressed with the success of the operation, and many closed-door meetings are held afterwards.

All of the required modules for Farside Base are in space now, and construction of the base will begin soon. While that project is still ongoing, KSP management begins to turn their thoughts towards Minimus.

Edited March 22, 2022 by TheSaint
Typo

[TheSaint]

Mission 401 - Minimus Satellite Network

Now that all of the initial payloads for Farside Base have been lifted to orbit, KSP begins to shift its focus to Minimus.

The steps involved in the development of Minimus will be similar to the steps that have been undertaken in the development of The Mun: First, the creation of a satellite network for surveying the moon and providing communications coverage. Then the construction of a space station in orbit around the moon which will provide a staging point for equipment and personnel destined for the moon's surface. And, finally, the construction of the surface base itself.

So the first mission in Phase 4 will bring the satellite network for Minimus into orbit. It will also bring up another orbital tug. Because of the extended distance to Minimus, a larger fleet of tugs will be needed to carry cargoes back and forth in a timely manner. And, just as it was for the Mun satellites, since this is a self-contained cargo load, the spaceplane won't be rendezvousing with Kerbin Station, it will simply be carrying its cargo to a 400km orbit and then letting it go on its merry way. 

Independence is up on the rotation for this flight. Her flight crew is:

Commander Jackie Kimball
Pilot Cleveland Kauffman
Flight Engineer Sierra King
Payload Specialist Herman Kinney
Mission Specialist Edwin Klinger
Mission Specialist Lily Kemp

On a sunny mid-morning, Independence is rolled out to the runway. Commander Kimball runs the engines up to 100%, then releases the brakes. Independence takes flight for her 11th mission!

She cruises through the atmosphere to space and reaches orbit.

Once her crew has rigged her for orbit and double-checked her systems, she burns to raise her orbit to 400km.

Now at normal operational altitude, the crew gets ready to deploy Orbital Tug 3. Payload Specialist Kinney releases the payload clamps, then erects the tug in the cargo bay.

Once is has been locked in the upright position, he deploys the tug's antennae and solar panels. The crew then goes through and give the tug's system's a thorough checkout before its release.

As Independence is approaching the tug's departure point, Kinney hits The Big Red Button, and the tug is released.

As the tug drifts away from Independence, Mission Control takes control of it. They upload its flight plan, and then when it reaches its departure point, it burns for Minimus.

But there is no time to sight see for the crew of Independence. Their last reentry opportunity of the day is only 15 minutes after the tug's release, and the season finale of "Real Kerbonauts of Kerbal Space Center" is on tonight. They line up Independence and then burn for reentry.

As they fall back from orbit, they rig the ship for atmosphere, then cruise through the heat of reentry. Soon they are safely touching down at KSC once again.

So now Orbital Tug 3 is carrying its brood of satellites to Minimus. It should arrive there in about a week. Meanwhile, the Kerbals are all glued to their TV sets, watching to see what shenanigans Val will get into this week.

[TheSaint]

Munar Orbit Operations - Y1 D30

But meanwhile, back at The Mun, things are really heating up. KSP management has announced its decision on where Farside Base will be constructed. The winner is (drum roll please)...Candidate Site A! Yes, Candidate Site A, located at roughly 1°N, 149°W, will be the location of Farside Base. The final criteria were:

• A large level area to allow construction of the base itself,
• A low latitude to minimize plane changes needed to reach Mun Station,
• A wide variety of geological features in the area for scientific study,
• A generous ore concentration should the need arise to conduct ISRU operations at the base in the future.

Some quick shots of Munar Survey Rover 1 at the chosen base location.

So now that the location has been finalized it is time to start landing hardware on the surface. The first piece of equipment that needs to be brought down is a cargo drone. The cargo drones will be used as forklifts to lift modules off of the cargo landers and move them around the base site. In order to assemble this first cargo for the surface, a little housekeeping is in order.

Cargo Drone 3 will be making the drop, so Captain Knoll undocks it from the station and brings it around to dock nose-first on one of the station's docking arms.

Then she undocks Cargo Drone 4 and uses it to move the airlock module out of the way of the tank support module, which will be making the trip down with the cargo drone. She also uses this opportunity to remove the tank support's docking spacer, which will be returned to Kerbin at some point in the future.

Then she powers up Cargo Lander 1, extending its solar panels, antennae, and landing gear. She then undocks it and maneuvers it around to dock with the tank support.

She then undocks the tank support and uses the lander to carry it over and dock it to Cargo Drone 3. The first cargo stack destined for the Munar surface is ready to go!

As Mun Station reaches the release point for the lander, Captain Knoll undocks the lander and then guides it through its deorbit burn.

The lander gently descends and comes to rest about 25 meters away from the survey rover.

Now Captain Knoll once again powers up Cargo Drone 3, fires up its main engines, and uses them to lift the tank support module off of the cargo lander. She hovers the assembly over about 10 meters, and then sets it gently down on the Munar surface. It works!

Now she must bring the cargo lander back up to Mun Station. She must wait for the station to come back around on its orbit, which takes roughly one hour, so she has a chance to take a breather. As the station approaches the rendezvous point, she ignites the main engine on Cargo Lander 1 and brings it to orbit.

Once in orbit, Knoll guides the lander in to dock once again at Mun Station.

The first hardware for Farside Base has been successfully delivered to the Munar surface! Unfortunately, the next delivery must wait for the arrival of Orbital Tug 2 with the hydrolox tank to refuel the lander. Hey, nobody ever said that Kerbals were masters of project planning!

[TheSaint]

Kerbin Orbit Operations - Y1 D30

While exciting things were happening around The Mun, really boring mundane stuff was happening around Kerbin. Orbital Tug 1 arrived at its parking orbit, then rendezvoused with Kerbin Station and delivered its cargo of spent rover capsules. Yawn.

It's next task is to deliver the last stack of modules for Farside Base to Mun Station, but unfortunately there wasn't enough fuel left in the hydrolox tank to refuel it, so it is waiting on another delivery from Kerbin via spaceplane. Again, project management. Apparently my mission report thread needs a Gantt chart now.

Edited March 26, 2022 by TheSaint

[TheSaint]

Munar Orbit Operations - Y1 D31-32

Back in Munar orbit, things are getting busy. Really busy. Orbital Tug 2 arrives in its parking orbit and circularizes. It reaches its first rendezvous burn only 10 minutes later, and soon it is arriving at Mun Station.

Once the hydrolox tank is docked at Mun Station, the engineers get to work refueling Cargo Lander 1. Once that task is finished, they can start to work landing more equipment at the base site. The next piece of the puzzle is the monoprop tank. XO Kenney undocks the lander and brings it around to pick up the tank.

Then as the station approaches the base site, Kenney undocks the lander and deorbits it.

He brings the lander down and sticks it about 30 meters from the base site.

Kenney then takes remote control of Cargo Drone 3 and brings it over to pick up the monoprop tank.

He then uses the drone to lift the tank and deposit it on the tank stand.

Now the cargo drone will have a solid supply of fuel during the base construction process.

While Kenney is taking care of these tasks on the surface, Captain Knoll is getting Orbital Tug 2 ready to return to Kerbin. First she uses Cargo Drone 4 to move the airlock module off of one of the docking adapters that needs to be returned to Kerbin.

The she undocks Orbital Tug 2 and maneuvers it around to pick up the two docking adapters, then she releases it for its return burn.

In about an hour Mun Station has come around in its orbit again and Kenney guides the cargo lander back to orbit to rendezvous with the station.

Once the lander has been docked once again, the engineers quickly refuel it. Then, while the station is on the dark side, Kenney undocks the lander and uses it to grab the base core module and bring it over to dock on the airlock module.

Then, once the station is approaching the base again, Kenney undocks the lander and pilots it down to the base site once again.

He once again brings it down safely next to the cargo drone.

He then lifts Cargo Drone 3 off of its tank and brings it over to dock  with the cargo stack on the lander.

Then he uses the drone to lift the stack and move it over by the tank, which will become the main base site.

After the core module has been set on the surface and leveled, Kenney undocks the airlock module from the core module and drifts it over about ten meters. He then undocks the docking adapter from the bottom of the airlock module, allowing it to drop to the surface.

Now that the legs of the airlock module are free, Kenney uses the drone to bring it over and place it next to the core module. The connecting tubes between the two of them will be set up by the crew later when they have come down to the surface.

Once Mun Station has orbited around again, Kenney ignites the cargo lander's engine and brings it back up to orbit.

Once the lander docks once more, and the engineers have refueled it, Kenney undocks it and uses it to assemble the next cargo stack destined for the Munar Surface. He grabs the habitation module next, and then docks it to the pylon module.

Then Kenney takes a break and Captain Knoll takes over. As the station approaches the base Knoll undocks the lander and stack and then burns for landing.

She then brings the lander down right next to the base site.

She then brings the cargo drone over and carries the cargo stack over to the base site, placing it so the habitation module is aligned with the core module.

The base layout is beginning to take shape.

When Mun Station has come around in its orbit again, Knoll fires up the cargo lander again and brings it back to the station.

Once the lander is back on the station and refueled, Knoll brings it over and docks it with the stacked reactor and radiator tower.

And, again, as the station approaches the base, the lander undocks with its cargo and deorbits.

This time the lander will be coming down at a point about 120 meters west of the base. The reactor will be placed this distance away from the base to reduce radiation exposure for the base occupants. Knoll brings it down at about 116 meters. Close enough.

Now she lifts Cargo Drone 3 off its pad and guides it over the Munar plain to the lander.

Once it is docked to the top of the radiator tower, she lifts the radiator tower off of the lander and places it about 20 meters closer to the base. Then she brings the drone back to the lander and docks it to the reactor module.

She then undocks the reactor module from its docking adapter, leaving the adapter on the lander, then places the reactor module on the surface next to the lander.

Now she lifts the drone off again and brings it back to the base proper to land it back on the monoprop tank.

The base layout is clearly visible now.

At the proper moment, Knoll has the cargo lander burn for orbit and then brings it in to dock at the station.

This leaves Mun Station almost bare of modules. The next one that could be brought down would be the supply module, but since that might leave the kerbonauts a little hungry they decide to leave that for later. Besides, there are only a couple hours of daylight left at the base site. And everyone on Mun Station needs a break. This will also give time for the last of the modules for Farside Base to arrive at Mun Station. So the final construction of Farside Base should take place during the next Munar day!

 

[TheSaint]

Mission 308 - Hydrolox Tank

Concurrent with all of that activity around The Mun, a resupply mission is necessary at Kerbin Station. Orbital Tug 1 is still stranded there without fuel, so a new hydrolox tank is needed. Also, the monopropellant tank there has been emptied. And while it is beyond the capabilities of a spaceplane to bring up both a full hydrolox tank and a full monopropellant tank, it can certainly bring down both empty.

Liberty is next in the rotation for this flight. Her flight crew is:

Commander Keith Kilpatrick
Pilot Charles Kern
Flight Engineer Clarice Kopp
Payload Specialist Selma Knotts
Mission Specialist Gary Knight
Mission Specialist Cleo Kiser

The crew gets settled into their seats as Liberty is rolled out to the runway. With the pre-flights finished, Commander Kilpatrick runs the throttles up to 100% and releases the brakes. And Liberty leaves KSC for her eighth mission!

Powering through her atmospheric flight, Liberty is soon once again in orbit.

After her rendezvous burns, Pilot Kern is soon expertly guiding her in to dock at Kerbin Station.

Once Liberty has docked and the hatches are open, the crews exchange their greetings. Then Payload Specialist Knotts sets about erecting the hydrolox tank in the cargo bay.

While Assistant Pilot Koonce fires up Cargo Drone 1 and maneuvers it around to dock with the empty hydrolox tank docked to the station.

And XO Keegan brings Cargo Drone 2 over to dock with the full tank in Liberty's cargo bay.

Now we're ready to begin. Koonce undocks the empty tank and brings it over to park a short distance away from the station.

Then Keegan undocks the new tank from Liberty and carefully maneuvers it around the station structure, bringing it to rest in its berth on the docking complex.

Now Koonce brings the empty tank in to dock with the pylon in Liberty's cargo bay.

The next priority is Orbital Tug 1, since its departure window for The Mun is fast approaching. Engineers Keenan and Killian are quick to get the tug refuelled from the new tank, and then XO Keegan undocks it and maneuvers it over to dock with its cargo stack.

Then she undocks the cargo stack and tug from the station and maneuvers it to a safe distance.

Mission Control takes control of the tug, and a short while later it performs its Munar departure burn.

Now the crews have time to get Liberty ready to return to Kerbin. Koonce undocks Cargo Drone 1 and brings it over to dock on the escape pod hub.

Then he undocks Cargo Drone 2 and moves it over to the empty monoprop tank. He undocks the monoprop tank and brings it over to dock with the second cargo erector in Liberty's cargo bay.

Now he undocks the drone and brings it to rest on the supply module docking port.

Payload Specialist Knotts now collapses the tanks back into the cargo bay.

And then Engineers Keene and Kent go on EVA to secure the hydrolox tank in Liberty's cargo bay.

After a very long day of work, everyone is exhausted. But the traditional meal is traditional, so everyone sits down in the wardroom and tucks in. Then after a jovial round of fist bumps, they settle in for a good night's sleep.

The next morning, the crew of Liberty closes the hatches and breaks away from Kerbin Station.

They burn for reentry, and soon find themselves on the glide path to KSC.

And then, touchdown! Liberty rolls to a stop at the end of the runway, and another mission is in the history books.

As construction of Farside Base winds down, the next phase of the program will begin: Minimus Station!

[Guest]

On 3/21/2022 at 1:45 PM, TheSaint said:

...or fermenting, as the case may be.

KSP Mission 307/KRO Mission 001-04 - Farside Base Radio Telescope Module

One of the crown jewels of Farside Base is to be a radio telescope, the largest ever deployed off-Kerbin. The environment on the far side of The Mun is very conducive to radio astronomy, since the bulk of The Mun shields the base from the extensive radio frequency interference of Kerbal civilization on Kerbin. The task of designing and constructing this delicate, expensive instrument fell to the Kerbal Science Foundation, who assembled it at their own facilities and then delivered it to the Kerbal Space Center for payload integration. However, upon delivery, they discovered a problem. It appears that when it came to calculating the module's clearances in the spaceplane cargo bay...

...someone neglected to carry a one. While the module clears the cargo bay laterally, dorsally it exceeds the dimensions by a wide margin. This is obviously a very embarrassing development, and the KSF has responded by sacking the engineer responsible, sacking his manager as well, and sacking the janitor on that floor of the building for good measure. (But don't feel too bad. The manager used his golden handshake to purchase a SNACKS! franchise, the engineer has successfully applied for the next class of kerbonaut training, and, if current polling holds out, the janitor is set to win the next election in her Kongressional district by a wide margin.)

But KSP is still left with a very expensive scientific instrument that they are unable to get into orbit. Just when all seems lost, in steps: Jebediah Kerman! Retired kerbonaut. First Kerbal in space. Hero of the Kerpollo program. World ski-boxing champion, three years running. Now a senior Kongressional representative and chairkerbal of the Committee on Space and Aeronautics. Representative Kerman brokers a solution:

The Kerbal Reconnaissance Office (Who is CONVINCED that there is someone else on Kerbin they need to be watching!) maintains their own launch site in a remote, highly classified location, where they launch highly classified payloads on highly classified missions into orbit. They have been closely observing the success of the KSP spaceplane program, and have recently decided to place an order for their own spaceplane. (Saw the christening notice the other day. Enterpol? Interprise? Some funny name.) In exchange for an extended knowledge transfer program between KRO and KSP to bootstrap their spaceplane project, KRO will allow KSP to use their existing launch site and booster system to lift the radio telescope module to Kerbin Station. KRO's current launch system is a semi-reusable booster, code-named Cepheus, designed and operated by Consolidated Kerbal Aerospace Industries under contract to KRO. Although the Cepheus booster has a lower maximum payload mass to LKO than the Independence-class, what it does have is a much larger fairing diameter, which will allow it to carry the radio telescope module with ease.

The Cepheus project managers see the writing on the wall, and they are using this launch as the opportunity to test out a new concept: a smart, maneuverable upper stage for the booster. This will allow the Cepheus upper stage to not only dock the payload to the station itself without the use of a tug, but it will also allow it to be returned to Kerbin by an Independence-class spaceplane. This will make the Cepheus booster system almost 100% reusable, vastly reducing its operating costs, and hopefully extending the system's usefulness and their careers.

Management at KSP, KRO, and CKAI are all watching this launch very closely. Management at KSF are just glad you've forgotten completely about them since the beginning of this post. And Jeb is back out on the talk show circuit with that chicken-eating grin on his face again! Ain't he something!

While the Cepheus booster is being rolled out to the pad, Orbital Tug 2 arrives in its parking orbit and circularizes.

Then, as dawn breaks over the KRO site, the Cepheus booster stands ready for launch.

As the countdown ticks down to zero, the main engines ignite, and the booster lifts off the pad!

The booster climbs away from the launch site, gaining speed and altitude. Then it reaches first stage separation.

The first stage activates its RCS systems, deploys its landing legs, rotates tail-first, then ignites its engines and begins burning to return to the launch site.

As the booster approaches the launch site, it rotates tail-first again, and sets down gently on the sands about a kilometer away from the facility, awaiting its recovery team.

Meanwhile, the upper stage continues its climb to orbit. Upon clearing the atmosphere it jettisons its fairing (the only hardware that isn't reused).

Then it circularizes in a 100km parking orbit.

Because it launched from the KRO facility, it is grossly out of plane with Kerbin Station. So in a few minutes it executes a plane change burn to bring it into alignment.

Then the craft runs through its rendezvous burns and finds itself in the vicinity of Kerbin Station.

Now control is handed over to the crew of Kerbin Station. Captain Koontz takes control of the Cepheus. Although the craft is unfamiliar, she soon gets a feel for it, and she guides it in to dock with the port docking arm. The Cepheus has successfully delivered the radio telescope to Kerbin Station! Mission accomplished!

While the Cepheus is arriving at Kerbin Station, Orbital Tug 2 arrives at its first rendezvous burn, and soon it too is being guided in to dock at Kerbin Station.

Now the crew wishes to place the Cepheus in a good location to await its return and dock the radio telescope to its cargo stack. Captain Koontz first safes the main engine on the Cepheus, then undocks it from the radio telescope module and brings it around to dock with the nadir port on the same docking arm.

While this evolution was taking place, Chief Engineer Keene and Assistant Engineer Keenan were busy using the newly arrived monoprop tank to refuel Cargo Drone 1. Now Assistant Pilot Kearney undocks it from its location on the starboard docking arm and maneuvers it over to dock with the radio telescope module.

He then undocks the radio telescope and uses the drone to dock it to the end of the cargo stack on the port docking arm.

Then he undocks the cargo drone and brings it over to dock on the supply module.

Although the radio telescope has been successfully delivered and stacked, the next priority is to deliver the hydrolox tank to Mun Station to support lander operations. So Orbital Tug 2 must be refueled and docked to the tank. The duty engineers have been busy refueling it, so now Captain Koontz can take over. She undocks it and maneuvers it to the other side of the docking arm to dock with the hydrolox tank.

As Kerbin Station approaches the tug's departure point, Captain Koontz undocks the tank and maneuvers the tug away from the station.

Then Mission Control assumes control of the tug and it burns for the Mun.

The Cepheus upper stage will wait at the station until it can be returned to Kerbin aboard a spaceplane flight. In the meantime, the upper management of all the entities involved are suitably impressed with the success of the operation, and many closed-door meetings are held afterwards.

All of the required modules for Farside Base are in space now, and construction of the base will begin soon. While that project is still ongoing, KSP management begins to turn their thoughts towards Minimus.

this chapter reminded me of KerbinBound tbh

[TheSaint]

13 minutes ago, Random-E said:

this chapter reminded me of KerbinBound tbh

Well, the reality is that the radio telescope part from Triple-Z Radio Astronomy Telescope won't fit in a 3.75m cargo bay. So, if you're going to violate your own rules, do it with panache....